


Senior Staff Shoot

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, Photo Shoots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 21:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2443778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard finds his senior staff slightly resistant to a photo shoot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Senior Staff Shoot

**Author's Note:**

> Written for McSheplets challenge #185: Shoot

Richard felt about as exasperated as the photographer looked. Unlike her Richard had had to deal with the resistance of Atlantis' senior staff for the last ten days.

Dr. Keller hadn't been happy about the photo shoot, but she'd only asked how long they expected it would take and otherwise left Richard in peace. Colonel Sheppard had asked if this was really necessary—repeatedly. He'd also tried to come up with a few excuses, but eventually gave up when it became clear that this appointment was not optional and if necessary would be rescheduled. All of that was nothing compared to Dr. McKay of course. The time McKay must have spent on writing the emails outlining why this was a waste of time had to be in vast excess of what the actual photo shoot would ever take. Unless McKay had written a program to autogenerate natural sounding complaints, which was within the realms of possibility.

Now that the day had come, the perceived waste of time was made worse by Sheppard's obvious discomfort in front of the camera, McKay's inability not to exude smug arrogance, and the tension between Keller and McKay after their not too recent but still recent enough to make things awkward breakup.

"Maybe we should take a quick break," the photographer suggested.

"What?! We've already wasted nearly half an hour on this," McKay groused. "How hard can it be to take a photo of the four of us?"

The photographer only looked at him. Richard had to commend her on not actually saying what she had to be thinking.

"Are you saying it's me?" McKay asked. "It's not me!" he added decisively, walking over to the monitor where the photographer could check the shots immediately. McKay scrolled through the pictures, then turned around to Sheppard. "It's you!"

"What," Sheppard said, eyes narrowing.

Next to Richard, Keller started rolling her eyes.

"Your face is..." McKay gesticulated towards Sheppard. "You don't just look uncomfortable. You look like you're actively trying to wish yourself away. Well, news flash, it's not working. It's only keeping us here longer."

Sheppard glared at McKay but didn't say anything.

"I don't get it," McKay went on. "It's not as if... I mean between the four of us, you are..." He sighed.

Sheppard raised an eyebrow.

"The most attractive?" Keller suggested.

"I didn't say that," McKay said. "And it wasn't what I meant. 'Attractive' implies..."

"That you're attracted?" Keller guessed. McKay only stared at her, and after a moment Keller repeated to Sheppard, "He thinks you're the most attractive of us."

"I never said I was attracted to him!" McKay said.

Richard felt that he should probably excuse himself. This was shaping up to become a fight between exes. The photographer looked ready to bolt, but Sheppard was watching the two with a clenched jaw.

"I'm very aware of that, Rodney," Keller said. "But more importantly you never said you _weren't_."

McKay gaped. But he didn't say anything to the contrary, Richard couldn't help but notice. Sheppard looked at McKay, very probably waiting for a response.

"I believe you mentioned a break," Richard said to the photographer.

"Yes, please," she said with feeling, walking towards the door before any of the others could protest.

Richard followed her out, joined by Keller. Outside he looked after the photographer. "Do you think she'll be back?" he asked Keller.

Keller snorted. "Maybe she just needs a drink. Rodney and John have a way to make people want to forget."

Richard raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. The split between Keller and McKay had been reasonably friendly as far as he could see from their interaction in the last few weeks.

Keller sighed wistfully. "I'm not sure I should be happy that I was able to make Rodney speechless—or happy that this might be the final nudge they needed."

Richard smiled, pleased that she didn't seem to carry any resentments that could make future staff meetings more challenging. "It would be good to see them together," he agreed. Particularly for Sheppard. Richard had seen the signs of loneliness that he knew too well. "And it wasn't entirely unpleasant to see McKay speechless," he added.

Keller grinned at him. "Oh, yeah. He deserved that. Just like they deserve each other. The good and the bad."

Richard smiled in agreement.

The door suddenly opened. "We can continue," McKay said. "Where is she?" he added, looking for the photographer. "Don't tell me she walked away! We have better things to do than sit here and wait. Much better," he added with feeling.

"Rodney," came Sheppard's warning note from behind him.

"I'm sure she'll be back in a moment," Richard said, rejoining them in the room.

"It's okay," Sheppard said, looking much more relaxed—and happy.

"Okay?!" McKay said incredulously. "We've waited for years to—"

" _We?_ " Sheppard asked back.

"Two minutes and they already act like a married couple," Keller commented.

McKay gaped again.

"To be fair, it's not really different from how they acted before," Richard said.

"True," Keller conceded.

"We're still here!" Sheppard and McKay said at once.

"So I feared," the photographer mumbled as she came back in as well.

"Let's get this done," Richard said. "I believe you'll find all of us highly motivated to finish this quickly now."

Keller, Sheppard, and McKay all nodded, and Richard felt a bit like a school teacher of brilliant but sometimes difficult students.

The photographer went to the camera, and the four of them took up their positions again.

Sheppard and McKay exchanged a fond look. The photographer took a shot, then said, "Now just turn to me and we'll be done."

They did and Richard had the feeling that the next photo was what they'd wanted since they'd started.


End file.
